1. Field of Art
This invention relates to products used in connection with equipment installations in general. With more particularity, the invention relates to a type of plastic pad adapted to be disposed between equipment and its support; for example, between a pipe and a support on which the pipe rests, for example a beam, or between equipment such as a pump or compressor and the floor supporting it.
2. Related Art
In industrial settings, by way of example only (and not limitation) such as plants, refineries and the like, there is much equipment which is obviously supported by other structure, by floors, etc. In particular, in many settings there are many pipes which must be supported by beams, the beams being spaced apart and running generally transverse to the longitude of the pipe. It is desirable to have some sort of pad placed between the pipe and the beam, which holds the pipe up off the beam, to prevent water and other liquids from collecting between the pipe and the beam and creating a concentrated point of possible corrosion. Such pads serve other purposes as well; for instance, the pads can act as vibration dampeners/absorbers to prevent the damaging effects of long-term vibration between the pipe and the support.
Other types of equipment besides pipes are frequently disposed on some sort of pad. In particular, reciprocating or rotating equipment such as pumps and compressors can generate considerable vibration, and a resilient pad between the equipment and a floor on which it rests is desirable.
Turning to support pads for pipe, prior art support pads have often been of relatively crude construction, such as blocks of wood. Materials like wood are obviously prone to decay, and in fact tend to absorb and hold liquids against the pipe. Other pads have been fabricated of various plastic materials, but have generally been of solid cross section construction. Solid construction for plastic members is inefficient, in the sense that more material is used than is actually needed to achieve the required strength, etc. for the pad. Since, for plastic elements, the cost of the finished product is largely dependent on the weight of the material incorporated therein, a more efficient structure is more cost efficient. Examples would include products having a lattice internal structure. In addition, when used on plastic parts, lattice structures exhibit superior strength arising from certain properties of molded and cured plastics, such strength characteristics not present in a solid structure.
Similar considerations exist for equipment other than pipes, such as pumps, compressors, etc.